Hotel Cipriani

Description:

• Long regarded as Venice's top hotel, the Cipriani in 2005 pushed the envelope -- and the limits of affordability, a term rarely used by its guests -- with the creation of the Dogaressa suite, where guests stare out at a commanding view of St. Mark's Square from the hotel's largest sitting room, studded with precious fabrics and antique Chinese lamps. These are the sort of environs you will find only at this landmark resort, a gorgeously elegant inn set into a string of Renaissance-era buildings on 1.2 hectares (3 acres) at the tip of Giudecca. Although by staying here you give up a central location and easy access to central Venice's sights, shops, and restaurants (it's a 10-min. boat ride to Piazza San Marco), that's the whole point: The Cipriani is a gilded retreat. The hotel was opened in 1959 by Giuseppe Cipriani, who founded Harry's Bar and Torcello's Locanda Cipriani, and was such a good buddy to Ernest Hemingway that he appeared in one of the master's novels (Across the River and into the Trees). Room decor varies greatly, from full-bore 18th-century Venetian to discreetly contemporary, but all are among Venice's most stylish accommodations. The amenities-filled rooms overlook some combination of the gardens and Olympic-size pool, the lagoon, San Giorgio Maggiore, and St. Mark's Square across the wide mouth of the Grand Canal. The 15th-century Palazzo Vendramin annex, connected via a garden, is for guests who desire more privacy (not unusual given their celebrity guest list), a more homelike feel, and a private butler. It also stays open until mid-December. It has only junior and full suites, charging the highest rates listed below in each category.

  Facilities: 3 restaurants (excellent Italian Cipriani w/lagoon views, bar eatery, poolside lunch); 3 bars; Olympic-size outdoor pool; golf course; tennis courts (indoor); exercise room; spa; sauna; concierge; tour desk; car-rental desk; salon; 24-hr. room service; massage (in spa or in-room); babysitting; laundry service; dry cleaning; courtesy boat (back and forth to Piazza San Marco 24 hr.); docking facilities

• © Frommer's 2013

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Very Highly Recommended 2010